By staff reports, November 4, 2008

Last updated: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 11:22 AM EST

Like many parents, Mark Campbell isn’t always on the same page with his son, Tyler Campbell, and the area of technology is no exception.

For Tyler, 16, the computer is a major fixture in daily life for e-mailing colleges as a prospective student, keeping in touch with friends via instant messages and doing school work.

“I usually just open my music and play something while I’m working,” he said.

Although Mark Campbell’s work as a lobbyist keeps him up to date on some devices, he says his son has the clear advantage when it comes to the Internet.

But Tyler teaches his father when he can and it’s been a way for the family to connect.

“In that way, as we give him more freedom, it’s been a way that we’ve been able to stay in touch,” Mark Campbell said.

That’s exactly why he was so interested when the Carlisle Area School District set up Power School — the system that lets students and parents check grades and attendance online and keep in touch with teachers and the school’s resources at home.

Of course, that new technology took some getting used to, Mark Campbell said, and at first he didn’t understand how to read the assignment list.

The program shows every assignment, from tests to homework, he said. At a glance, an “F” for a missed homework assignment looks a lot like a serious problem.

“You have to learn how to not read too much into it,” Mark Campbell said.

In the end, the system is meant to be a way for parents to keep up with what their students are doing in school and get involved, not just to look over their shoulders.

“At some point you have to trust your kids,” the elder Campbell said.

Along with the rest of this story from Sentinel reporter Kelly Wilson, here's what else to look for in today’s print and on-line editions:

CV staffers to sports mustaches for charity

They aren’t doing it to keep their faces warm this winter, nor did anyone lose a bet.

Cumberland Valley district staffers, including Superintendent Bill Harner, are simply growing facial hair to promote awareness and raise some money for the Eagle Foundation and its annual Touch of the Valley benefit Nov. 15, which is going with a Western theme this year.

Harner, a retired Army lieutenant colonel is sporting the Fu Manchu made famous by professional wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan – a full mustache that extends downward past the lips and on either side of the chin. He hopes to out fuzz the competition and take the title of “best mustache-wearing cowboy at CV,” an honor which will go to the person who raises the most donations.

“The biggest thing is awareness,” said the superintendent, who has been working on the look for about the last three weeks.

The foundation will hold the event at the Cumberland Valley High School, beginning at 6:30 p.m. It is a combination of a silent auction and tasting sampler with menu specialties prepared by more than 45 local restaurants and food vendors.

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Carlisle firm works to prevent bacteria outbreaks in food

A Carlisle firm has developed new technology on the cutting edge of preventing outbreaks of E coli, salmonella and other pathogens in fruits and vegetables.

Hanson Technologies unveiled its OmniFresh 1000 system Monday to Dennis Wolff and Everette James, the secretaries of agriculture and health for Pennsylvania.

President and Chief Executive Officer William Hanson said the new technology could reduce the risk of outbreaks by 90 percent by detecting bacteria and other pathogens at the processing plant before produce enters the food chain.

Harvested fruits and vegetables coming into a plant are usually divided into lots and then washed in large tanks prior to being packaged and shipped off to market.

The OmniFresh system is designed to gradually draw out 100 gallons of this wash water over the two to three hours it takes to wash each produce lot, Hanson said.

He explained the system then screens out suspected pathogens into smaller samples which are then tested by biosensors.

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South Middleton School District buys property in split vote

South Middleton School Board Monday purchased land immediately adjacent to its Boiling Springs campus for a future traffic safety improvement project.

Board members voted 6-3 to authorize district staff and solicitor Philip Spare to process the necessary paperwork to buy the parcel at 100 Forge Road for $175,000.

Superintendent Patricia Sanker said, “at some point not in the immediate future” the district may expand its driveway on Arnold Street to provide for a turn lane.

The goal is to improve safety for school buses and passenger vehicles, Sanker said. “The property has been on sale for about six months.”

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